At this time of year I am bombarded with questions pertaining to holiday entertaining. This year, I wanted to take the time to post my favorite affordable ideas to make your party fabulous and budget friendly.
1-Make your centerpieces multi-functional.
If serving a sit down dinner, make the meal family style and use a collection of dishes and bowls as your centerpiece. This makes each table unique and delicious. Surround them with candles and loose flowers to complete the look. A large tablespoon at each place setting can serve as individual serving pieces and tied with a placecard they can add value to your table.
2-Fruit and Vegetables.
This is the decorating item that keeps on giving after the party is over. Use fresh fruits and vegetables cut in a glass (peppers or citrus), whole in clusters (artichokes or pomegranates), or as an accent to placecards and buffet items (small pears or apples). Do not be afraid to mix fruits and vegetables, some whole and some cut. After the party, use them in your favorite recipes so they do not go to waste!
3-Layering your Table
As my clients well know, I am always in favor of layering your table. Start with a great linen, add charger plates, then the napkin fold. Top it with a menu or placecard tied to fresh fruit or holly berries. By incorporating layers into the look of the table, the centerpiece carries less weight and can be more modest. Use an extra charger plate, place three candles of different heights in the center and surround them with loose cranberries, whole nuts or coffee beans.
4-Mix and Match
Every year you find some linens are missing, napkins are damaged, and pieces of china are broken. Do not worry. Go to your local home decorating store (Homegoods, Target, Pier One) and look for open stock pieces. Add color and splash by mixing it up. Have all white dishes but now the bread plates are broken, add all gold bread plates. Add gold to the centerpiece and you have a new look.
5-Most important - Have fun!!
